


Notice Me

by one_hell_of_an_otaku



Category: Rooster Teeth/Achievement Hunter RPF
Genre: Angst, Just a very sad Ryan looking after a very sad Gavin, Love Line bc love triangles are overrated right, M/M, One Sided Love
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2014-06-23
Updated: 2014-08-24
Packaged: 2018-02-05 20:38:47
Rating: Not Rated
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 5
Words: 4,979
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/1831495
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/one_hell_of_an_otaku/pseuds/one_hell_of_an_otaku
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Gavin was always with Michael. <em>Always with his boi</em>. And Ryan can't stand it.</p>
            </blockquote>





	1. Love Hurts

**Author's Note:**

> I was babysitting and then this happened and hooray for my first AH fic

Sometimes the only thing he can do is watch. Watch and wait and listen to his constant sobs and wails. But that’s okay. It’s okay because it’s what he asked for. After all, Ryan was the one who went up to Gavin and told him that if he needed anything the lad could always rely on him. And rely on him he did.

Ryan was always there whenever Gavin came knocking at his door, tears streaming down his face. Ryan was always there when Gavin couldn’t walk straight and needed to be seated down. Ryan was always there when Gavin needed to talk about his feelings. Ryan was always, _always_ there for Gavin, and he wouldn’t change a thing about it.

Sure, he’d love to comfort the younger with small kisses and light touches. Hell, he’d give _anything_ to do that. Even if that meant he would have to wait by simply wrapping his arms around the brit and listening to his sorrows. He’d wait for Gavin to come around and notice how much Ryan loves him. Ryan would wait for eternity if that were the case.

But that wasn’t the case. Gavin would play around with Michael for a night (that usually took place multiple times a week) and run to Ryan when he was forced to leave the Jones household. He would cry and sob and whine about how he wished Michael actually loved him and how he wants to become Gavin Jones instead of just being some fuckbuddy. And Ryan would always sit there and be forced to listen to his beloved’s pain.

But that was okay.

It was okay because it meant he could spend more time with Gavin even if it wasn’t under the best circumstances.


	2. Things Just Got Difficult

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Gavin gets his heart broken, Ryan is there, and Gavin isn't doing too great.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> hah,, what do u mean it hasnt been a few days since i posted the first chapter??? pshhh

Gavin thought nobody noticed. He thought he was perfectly hidden when his gaze lingered over Michael, taking in the sight before him. But Ryan would always be the one to see. He always saw it and it hurt so much because Gavin didn’t deserve that pain and _why can’t he see he’s loved by someone else._

Ryan was going to finally do something about it.

\--

Gavin sat at his desk, trying to get an achievement in a game while Michael sat at his side, editing a Rage Quit. The two were minding their own business until Michael removed his headphones, causing the younger to look his way.

Making sure that they were the only men in the office, Gavin ran his finger up the other’s leg, starting at the knee and stopping mid thigh. “How about we get some bevs tonight? Just you and me,” Gavin started, but stopped when he was cut off by his coworker.

“Sorry Gav, but not tonight,” Michael replied. “I got something planned with Lindsay.”

“Well what about tom—“

“Not for a while, actually. It’d be best if we just stopped doing this whole _one night stand_ thing because we both know it never was just one night.”

Gavin looked down at his shoes, feeling his heart drop into his stomach and his throat clench from trying not to cry. Even if the nights when Michael would kiss his body and roam freely with his hands meant nothing to rage quitter, Gavin would still cherish them. Those were the only times when he actually felt loved. Taking those moments away would crush him into billions of pieces.

“You need to get this through your head,” Michael said, slapping the back of his palm in his other hand. “You’re not going to be Gavin Jones; I’m not going to be Michael Free. I know you think about that, and don’t try to deny it.” He ran a hand through his curls and let out an exasperated sigh. His voice lowered almost enough to be considered a whisper. “I don’t want to hurt you more than I already have, so just give it a rest.” Michael stood up from his chair and walked out the door as Gavin watched with tears pricking the edges of his eyes.

He’d been turned down.

There weren’t going to be any more “special” nights for Gavin.

Team Nice Dynamite was crumbling down like a building in an earthquake. 

Who was going to mend the building back together and make sure everything was functional like it once was?

The lad wiped at his eyes, trying to rid the tears from his eyes. He couldn’t breathe properly and hiccupped with nearly every breath, feeling his eyes sting from the contact of his fists. Several minutes passed like that before Ryan walked into the room.

The older stared down at the crying man before him, wondering just how _idiotic_ he could be. “You brought this upon yourself,” Ryan muttered as he sat down in Ray’s chair. “It was only a matter of time, and it just so happened to be sooner rather than later.”

“M-Maybe I can s-still get him back, though,” Gavin sobbed, burying his face in the warmth of his palms. “I can win him over. I just—“ _hic_ ”--know I can. It’s not over y-“

“He’s getting married, Gavin.”

What? _Married?_ Lifting his head out of his hands, Gavin’s hiccups stopped and the room became silent, save for the sound that the chair made when Ryan shifted in it. “Why didn’t… He didn’t tell me about that,” the brit whispered after several seconds, feeling his heart sink once more. “Why do you know about this?” What had filled Gavin with pain and the feeling of loss soon became enveloped in anger and confusion. Affairs and love interests aside, Gavin knew he was Michael’s best friend, so _why did Ryan know before him?_

“Michael didn’t want us to tell you anything because he _wanted to tell his boi in a special way_.” Ryan turned away and stared at one of the monitors, tracing the outline with his eyes. He allowed Gavin to process everything because, after all, the person he claimed he loved was getting married. Sure, he knew that Michael and Lindsay were an item, but he never thought they would get serious and settle down. Gavin had silently hoped that one day their long established relationship would crumble and be a forgotten memory.

Seems like fate doesn’t want to have a positive impact on the Brit’s life.

“We both know that there’s nothing you can do about this, Gavin.” Ryan turned around to look at the younger and wiped a few tears that were streaming down his face. “Michael really loves Lindsay and it’s a shame that I have to repeat this to you. But you need to realize that he’s not waiting for you. _You need to move on_.”

“What will I do then? My world practically revolves around Michael.” Gavin swatted the other’s hand away and rested his forehead on the desk, reveling in how it felt cold and barren, much like himself.

“Make it revolve around someone else,” Ryan suggested. “Some people would gladly be your world, your moon, and whatever else they need to be for you.”

“There’s nobody willing to take that spot,” Gavin grumbled, pressing his cheek onto the cool surface and making his lips mash together.

“I know I would.”

Gavin’s eyes widened as he picked his head up to properly look at Ryan, watching as he strode over to the door and said, “Goodnight, Gav.” But then Ryan was gone and that was when the Brit truly realized that without Ryan, he really _would_ be all alone. Without him in Gavin’s life, he would’ve had to deal with all his emotional bullshit about Michael by himself.

_Michael._

The man he loves—no, _loved?_

Thinking about Michael made his chest ache, and adding Ryan to the mix just made his head hurt. Gavin shut his eyes and held his legs to his chest, resting his face on his knees.

He wished he never got himself involved in any of this.

\--

The next day at work was hard for Gavin. He felt exhausted and emotionally drained, and he looked the part, too. His eyes were a bit sullen and he wasn’t his usual bubbly, energetic self.

_”Aw, what’s wrong, Gav?”_  
 _“Just feeling a bit sick is all.”_  
 _“Seems like it’s not a mental thing after all then, huh?”_  
 _“Appears that way.”_

Needless to say, when he saw Michael at work that day he tried his best to avoid him without making it too obvious until their lunch break rolled around. Gavin asked Michael to meet him in the parking lot and, curious as to what else the Brit had to say, the latter agreed.

“Why didn’t you tell me?” Gavin asked, leaving no room for a greeting as Michael approached him.

“Tell you what?”

“That you and Lindsay were getting married!” Gavin quickly covered his mouth when he realized he was losing his composure. “Why wouldn’t you tell me something like that?”

Michael crossed his arms and looked sideways, trying to avoid the younger’s gaze. “Because you were so caught up in that fantasy of yours that I wanted to clear things up between us before I told you.” He placed his hands on his hips and stared Gavin straight in the face, gaining a bit of confidence. “I can’t exactly say _’By the way, Lindsay and I are gonna get hitched and I’m actually really fucking serious about her’_ while you have my dick shoved so far up your ass.”

“Well maybe you could have mentioned it some other time, don’t you think?” Gavin put his hands in the pockets of his jeans and stared at the ground, furrowing his eyebrows and once again trying not to shed a single tear. “You didn’t have to make the others keep it a secret from me.”

“Well it’s not a secret anymore, so none of that matters. The only thing that _does_ matter is that I’m actually going to try and settle down, so that means we can’t do that stuff anymore.” Michael tried putting his hand on Gavin’s shoulder but pulled away when he turned around. “Just move on from me, will you?”

_It’s not that easy, you idiot,_ Gavin thought.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> So this ended up being very Gavin centric and I'm gonna try to focus on Rye-bread a lil more in the next chapter
> 
> find me at my writing tumblr kisalovesyou and my personal marco-boot


	3. Figure It Out

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> X-ray and Vav, yeah?

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Did I say this chapter was going to be Ryan centric?? April fools ;A;
> 
> If you learned anything from my fic it should be to not trust what i say as i have no control over my actions and that i can't name chapters weLP

It’d been almost two weeks since Ryan “confessed” his feelings to Gavin. Almost fourteen days and he still hadn’t heard a response; though that wasn’t as surprising as the fact that the Brit hadn’t even had a decent conversation with him since then, save for Let’s Plays.

Maybe he shouldn’t have popped the news when the younger was feeling vulnerable and upset, but he had to tell him. He didn’t want to wait any longer. Gavin needed to know, and even if it wasn’t at the best time, the nagging feeling dissipated from his conscience.

So Ryan should have felt at ease with himself. Right?

\--

“Hey Vav, is alcohol the only shit you have?” Ray quickly closed the fridge door and started opening cupboards and pantry doors before returning to the fridge. Wash, rinse, repeat.

“Uh, I’m sure I have some soda towards the back of the pantry,” he called out, grimly remembering that he only had so much alcohol because it helped him get through the nights. Though he didn’t need it as much, he still kept it for when Geoff would visit. “Though I hope you don’t mind it being warm.”

“Nah, it’s fine,” the younger said before moving a few boxes around and finding the calorie filled cans. “But I’m kind of surprised you don’t have any water bottles.” He grabbed a can of soda and walked back to the living room where Gavin sat, holding a TV remote and scanning through the channels.

“Must’ve drunk them all,” Gavin shrugged. “Sorry, Lad.” The Brit put the remote down and crossed his legs on the couch. Ray sat on the far end of the piece of furniture, resting his back on the armrest and stretching his legs out so they were partly on the other’s lap.

The two had opted for a day of video games and decided to take a break for getting snacks and playing around which resulted in Gavin accidently turning the Xbox off and Ray suggesting that they relax a little more.

The TV could be heard faintly in Gavin’s ears, but other than that, it was silent. Silent except for his thoughts. What was he going to do about Michael? What about Ryan? Things took a rather awkward turn and it would suck if he couldn’t talk properly to either of them, seeing as they were close friends. And that just made it a bit weirder, considering that Gavin wanted to be closer friends with Michael and Ryan wanted the same with the Brit. Just thinking about that made him feel queasy. Is this a love triangle? No, it’s more like a love line that’s only heading south.

Ray kicks the Lad’s knee with his foot when he notices the other zone out. “Everything okay there, Gav?”

“Wha—Oh, yeah,” Gavin smiled, “everything’s top!” He picked up the remote and started messing with the buttons, hoping to change the input. “Now, how about we watch Netflix or something?” He got up to turn on the Xbox again but Ray stopped him, quickly reaching over and grabbing Gavin’s arm with his free hand. How he didn’t manage to spill his drink was something he would never know.

“Clearly everything isn’t ‘top’.” Ray quickly set his soda can on the coffee table and took the remote out of the Brit’s hand before turning off the TV and placing it alongside his drink. “Sorry to say this Vav, but you’ve been acting strange lately.”

“I guess I must be coming down with something again.” He smiled innocently and grabbed for the remote again.

“Bullshit,” Ray spat, knocking the device further away from his hands. “What’s going on?”

Gavin sighed and curled into a ball on the couch, praying that maybe if he thought about it hard enough he could shrink and get lost in the cushions. A few beats of silence passed and before Ray could call out to him, he relented. “What do you think about me and Ryan?”

“You and Ryan?” He cocked his head to the side and rested it along the couch. “What do you mean?”

“I meant exactly what I said,” Gavin sighed again. “Ryan and I. Haywood and Free. Me and him.” He hoped he could make this conversation a little less uncomfortable, but if he had to spell it out to the Lad, he didn’t think making it comfortable would even be an option anymore.

“Friendship wise you guys seem to be good pals,” he admitted, shrugging because apparently that’s all he ever could do. “But if you’re asking me about something more between you two, then I can’t answer that.”

“And why the bloody hell not?”

“Because that’s something you need to decide yourself. If you wanna date him and kiss him and all that other shit then go for it. If you don’t want to then that’s cool, too. But _you_ have to be the one to figure that out, Gav. I can’t say something and influence your way of thought because you couldn’t figure it out yourself.”

“I guess you’re right,” Gavin groaned, staring at the ceiling. “Thanks X-ray.”

Mentioned man nodded and turned the TV back on, hoping to distract the other Lad. “I believe you said something about Netflix?”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> as always you can send comments, concerns, prompts whatever to either my personal tumblr, marco-boot, or my writing one, kisalovesyou


	4. Progress

Michael felt like shit. He didn’t really want to hurt Gavin like that, but what was he supposed to do? He loved Lindsay and he wasn’t going to let the Brit stand between them. Speaking of Lindsay, he felt even worse about what he could possibly put her through. It wasn’t like he was supposed to meet up with Gavin like that.

The two of them had gone out to a bar together because Gavin wanted to “get bevved up” with his boi. Michael had agreed and one drink turned into two and two somehow turned into ten or something and then they stopped counting because what did it matter anymore, right? Things got heated and they took a cab back to Gavin’s place and let’s just say clothing didn’t stay on for the entirety of the night.

That drunken night was supposed to stay secret and just a one night thing. But then Gavin would get him drunk and they would have many repeats of that night and then soon enough Michael started agreeing to having sex with him while sober.

Michael took another swig of whiskey from the bottle in his hand, trying to drown out everything.

He was the human personification of complete and utter shit.

\--

Gavin wrung his hands together and bit his bottom lip, trying to rid himself of any negative thoughts. It helped a bit, but many still remained. He had called Ryan out to have lunch an hour ago and they were going to meet up in a few minutes. Did Ryan hate him? If he was Ryan he would hate himself. Yeah, he sure would. Gavin could be quite a prick in his opinion.

He sighed and gave a small smile to Ray when he raised an eyebrow. “Thanks for your advice the other day, X-ray. You really helped me out,” he said when the Hispanic’s eyebrow was still raised.

“Oh,” he replied. “Are you worried about Ryan or something?” Ray scooted his chair over to sit a bit closer to Gavin. Having a chair in between them wasn’t exactly the best for communication.

“You could say that.”

“Well, don’t be,” Ray told him. “I’m sure if something happened—good or bad—Ryan wouldn’t really care, right? He’s not one to stay upset.”

“You’re right about that,” Gavin agreed, though he didn’t really because Ray didn’t know about his… complicated situation. And it was best it stay that way. He wouldn’t want to get Michael in trouble, after all. “I’m sure everything will be fine.”

The two turned around when they heard a knock at the door, seeing Ryan. “Ready to go, Gav?”

Gavin gave another smile to Ray, who returned with a pat on his shoulder, and stood up to follow Ryan to his car. They walked in silence, either too nervous or not comfortable enough to start a conversation. It wasn’t until they were halfway to their destination that Gavin decided he should initiate something.

“I’m sorry,” he muttered, turning his head to look out the window. He was grateful he couldn’t see the Gent’s gaze, but he could _feel_ it.

“Sorry for what?”

“Everything, you bloody dope,” Gavin replied immediately. “I didn’t mean to be so dense about everything.” _I was like a schoolgirl. Hopelessly in love with nothing better to do._ “And I didn’t want to make things weird between us. Kinda like it is now.” He turned his head to look at Ryan and cheered inwardly when the older was looking at the road.

“I guess now is when I forgive you and forget everything that happened, right?” Ryan asked, tapping his fingers on the steering wheel.

“Well, I mean, that _was_ the plan, but you don’t have to. I know I hurt you, and I don’t even forgive myself for it. You could hate me for the rest of your life, but then this lunch would be a damn waste, now wouldn’t it?”

“You have a point,” Ryan chuckled, glancing over at the Brit. “But, you’re basically saying that this is sort of like a date, right?”

“Maybe it is,” he said, turning to face the window again. “I was just thinking that maybe I could try moving on instead of staying hooked onto someone that’s settling down. I’ve got to get a life of my own.”

“Alright,” the Gent nodded. “But if you do something wrong I won’t hesitate to throw you out of a window.”

“Team Love n’ Stuff?” Gavin asked.

“Only if I get to be the stuff.”

\--

“What do you mean you’re a great driver? You almost swerved into a ditch!”

“Well, it’s not my fault,” Ryan countered. “It’s not like I _planned_ for the ditch to be there. You would’ve been fine.”

“I’m not a bloody superhero like you may be, Rye,” Gavin laughed. “I’m not going to survive _a fifty foot drop_ in that car. Not like you, at least. You would’ve come out without a single scratch and I would’ve been all over the pavement.”

“Well, nobody’s a perfect driver, Gav.”

“I KNOW RYAN.”

The two had just come back from their “lunch date” and Ray was glad things weren’t as awkward as they used to be. He could sense the tension that always lingered around them and he was hoping they wouldn’t drop back down into that uncomfortable bubble. He also gave himself a pat on the back, (mentally, of course) because he had a part in that, right? Sure he did.

Michael smiled to himself when he saw Gavin and Ryan playing around like they used to. He knew Ryan was well informed about their nights they spent together, so things weren’t always good between them. But seeing Gavin smiling again made him forget about all that. He was happy, and that was all that mattered. He was slowly picking up the pieces of himself that Michael himself had shattered.

Maybe things could finally go back to how they were before.

Team Nice Dynamite had a chance of being saved.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> So I left this as is so that way there won't be a rlly cheesy ending I guess? I kinda wanted you guys to think about whether or not freewood will end up staying platonic or if it'll become something more. I also wanted for you to have your own little idea of what may have happened between Michael and Gav. (Though I might write different endings if i have time and if you want it)
> 
> remember that you can contact me at either kisalovesyou or marco-boot on tumblr!!


	5. First Dates Are The Worst

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Romantic Freewood based on what happened after the chapter "Progress"

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I had lots of fun writing this and you might want to search _Jiffy Pop_ on google images in advance if u dont know what that is

Gavin smiled to himself as he felt Ryan pepper kisses along his neck and down to his shoulder, only to be trailed back and repeated. He lay between Ryan’s legs and partly on his chest, hugging the arms that the Gent wrapped around him. His head was craned to the side so Ryan could get maximum space for kisses. He let out a few giggles when he felt Ryan nip at his ear.

It took a while for the pair to be as close as they were now. Almost two years for them to settle their relationship. For the first 1½ years they were messing around as a couple of friends and it slowly evolved into something more intimate. Ryan would take Gavin out to have dinner, or he would bring the Lad to his house so he could cook for him. Gavin would invite Ryan over for a movie and to play a few games on his Xbox.

Even though the two had different ideas of what a fun night out was, it was still fine. It was perfect because they had gotten used to each other’s presence and longed for more. They wanted more and their greed could only be satisfied by something more than just platonic friendship.

“Hey, Rye,” Gavin called out. He let out a small sigh when Ryan hummed against his skin. “Do you remember the first actual date we had? Like when we started dating?”

“God, how could I forget?” Ryan laughed. He buried his forehead in Gavin’s hair, trying not to cringe at the thought. “That might’ve been the worst night of my life.”

“It was an absolute disaster.”

-x-

“I know where I’m going,” Ryan groaned. “Just let me drive in peace.”

“You’re going the absolute wrong way, though! You were supposed to make a left back there!”

“Well then why don’t _you_ drive?”

“We both bloody know that I don’t drive, Rye,” Gavin pouted, crossing his arms. “But I don’t see why you just won’t listen to me. Just because I don’t want to drive doesn’t mean that I should be treated like I don’t know directions.”

“Okay, I’ll go _your_ way,” Ryan sighed as he made a U-turn. “But if we get lost, it’s your fault.”

“And what if we don’t?” Gavin asked innocently.

“Then I’ll give you five hundred dollars.”

A few minutes of driving and multiple turns later from Gavin’s instructions, they were lost. Gavin had even managed to get them out of the city with how he was giving directions so Ryan had to quickly get back on a highway and drive back to the outskirts of Austin before stopping in an old parking lot.

“Gavin?”

“Yes, Ryan?”

“We’re lost.”

“I know.”

And so after typing in the address on Ryan’s GPS, they managed to make it to their reservation on time. (They had initially wanted to watch a movie, but Gavin changed plans on the way to the theater and wanted to go sightseeing around the restaurant since Austin was decorated in Christmas lights.) The only problem was parking, so they most definitely were _not_ going to be on time. After driving around aimlessly Ryan sent Gavin inside to get their table while he parked the car. He managed to find a parking garage five minutes later.

After their dinner they were preparing to pay, but there was a slight problem.

“Hey, Gavin?” Ryan called out, worrying his bottom lip between his teeth.

“Yes, Rye-bread?”

“You don’t happen to have your wallet, do you?”

“You’ve got to be fucking kidding me.”

Ryan quickly explained that his wallet must’ve still been in his car, so Gavin suggested that he go get it, seeing as he didn’t bother to bring his in hopes that Ryan would be a true gentleman. So Ryan left to get his wallet. He continued to go on the quest of retrieving his wallet for almost fifteen minutes while Gavin waited in the restaurant.

When he finally returned, Gavin was texting Ray the details of what had occurred in the night so far, though he chose to omit the fact that _he had gotten them lost._

“Ray says hi,” Gavin told Ryan when he returned.

“You’re texting Ray?” The Gent asked as he placed his credit card on top of the receipt, waiting for their waiter to take it.

“Well I wouldn’t have to if you remembered to bring your stupid wallet,” Gavin grumbled. He quickly typed out another message and put his phone in his pocket.

“Maybe I wouldn’t have forgotten it if you didn’t get us outside of the city,” Ryan teased, pulling on Gavin’s cheek. “You’re totally the one to blame.”

“Nope! It’s all _your_ fault,” Gavin insisted, grabbing Ryan’s hand and lacing his fingers with his own. “And you can’t convince me otherwise.”

“Okay, Gavin,” Ryan replied sarcastically, rolling his eyes but smiling no less when he noticed how the Brit tangled their fingers together. “Let’s just go back to your place and watch a movie or something. You know, like we planned.”

Gavin turned his head and let out a “hmpf” in response, still blaming Ryan for how the date was going.

\--

“Are you trying to burn your house down?” Ryan asked, standing behind Gavin so he could pull the Brit out of the way if he needed to.

“Relax, Rye,” Gavin laughed. “Everything is going to be fine.” He turned around and planted a kiss on Ryan’s cheek before messing with the dials on the stove. “Making popcorn like this shouldn’t be too hard, right?”

“Well, no,” the Gent answered. “But usually people tend to leave the aluminum on when trying to make popcorn on the stove. They don’t feel the urge to remove it, you know.”

“But think of how cool this could look with the phantom!” Gavin smiled and grabbed the handle of the Jiffy Pop before placing it on the hot surface. “I’ve just got to make sure it’s safe enough that I won’t have to run with the camera is all. Not to mention Dan will go absolutely mental if he finds out I might mess up our equipment.”

“Oh Gavin,” Ryan sighed. He placed his hand over his mouth and left to get a bowl from the cupboards. While he did that the popcorn kernels had started to pop. Nothing too serious. Until popcorn started flying out of the pan and all over the floor. Gavin backed up to avoid being hit by the flying snacks and unpopped kernels before Ryan quickly placed the bowl on top of it and moved it to the cooler portion of the stove.

Though the bowl helped quite a bit, there was still a huge mess on the floor. Ryan would be the one to clean it up later. But for now, he was focused on Gavin who was sitting on the floor, rubbing his eye.

“There’s butter in my eye,” Gavin whined, trying to rub it out.

“Stop rubbing it,” Ryan ordered, helping Gavin up from the floor. “You have to wash it out with water.”

“What?!” Gavin yelled. “I don’t want to do that.” He frowned and rested his head on Ryan’s shoulder, making sure to keep his eye closed.

“You’re so difficult,” Ryan groaned. He held onto Gavin’s shoulders and guided him to the sink. He folded up a paper towel and wet it with water. “Open your eye.” Gavin did as he was told and did his best to keep it open while Ryan tried to get rid of as much butter as he could.

“Tonight really isn’t our night, is it?”

“Not by a long shot.”

-x-

“God that night was absolutely horrendous,” Gavin laughed, turning over so he could properly face Ryan.

“And I’m still waiting for you to admit that it was your fault that date went so badly,” Ryan said, rubbing circles onto Gavin’s cheeks with his thumbs.

“It was totally your fault, Ryan.”

“Nope.”

“Yep.”

“It wasn’t and you need to stop trying to protect your ego and admit it,” Ryan ordered. He was only half serious. Okay, maybe a little more than half. But, to be fair, it wasn’t his fault in the slightest.

“I will if it means I get to come over to your house more often,” Gavin negotiated. He rested his head on Ryan’s chest, closing his eyes with a smile.

“Deal.”

“Then, I, Gavin David Free, take full responsibility for that horrible first date,” he laughed.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> If anybody wants platonic freewood (aka the alternate ending to "Progress") or wants to know what happened to Team Nice Dynamite, go ahead and leave a comment or send me an ask at kisalovesyou or marco-boot on tumblr!


End file.
